Skirting board arrangement

ABSTRACT

A skirting board arrangement ( 1 ) with at least one skirting board ( 3 ) attached to the wall ( 2 ) and with a plurality of connecting elements ( 4 ), in the installed state of the skirting board arrangement ( 1 ), each connecting element ( 4 ) being introduced from through the skirting board ( 3 ) from an outer side thereof into a common drill hole ( 5 ) in the skirting board ( 3 ) and in the wall ( 2 ). The common drill hole ( 5 ) is driven into the wall ( 2 ) through the skirting board ( 3 ) in a single drilling process and the skirting board ( 3 ) is held in a force-fit and form-fit manner on the wall by the connecting elements ( 4 ).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a skirting board arrangement with at least oneskirting board attached to the wall and with a plurality of connectingelements.

2. Description of Related Art

Skirting boards generally are made of wood, metal or plastic and areattached directly over the floor along the bottom edge of the walls bycementing, nailing or screwing to them. If a skirting board is cementedto a wall, it cannot be easily detached from the wall again at a latertime without damage to the skirting board and/or the wall. When theskirting boards is nailed to a wall, on the one hand, installationespecially for concrete walls, and on the other hand, also dismountingof the skirting board are likewise complex. Moreover, attachment of theskirting board by nails is aesthetically less pleasing. In addition, theprior art discloses multi-piece skirting boards, a lower section beingscrewed directly to the wall and a cover section then being attached tothe lower section by means of a catch connection. Attachment of theseskirting boards to the wall is labor-intensive and time-consuming, exactplacement of the skirting board not being easily possible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of this invention is to provide a skirting boardarrangement with which it is possible to attach a skirting board to awall with low time and labor input, with high precision, preferablydamage to the skirting board and/or wall upon subsequent removal nothaving to be feared.

The aforementioned object is achieved in a skirting board arrangement ofthe initially named type in that, in the installed state of the skirtingboard arrangement, each connecting element is inserted from outsidethrough the skirting board into a common drill hole in the skirtingboard and in the wall and is non-positively connected directly to thewall, that the common drill hole is driven into the wall through theskirting board in a drilling process and that the skirting board is heldin a form-fit and force-fit manner on the wall by the connectingelements. Accordingly, a connecting element has a fastening body and ahead which is connected to the fastening body, the fastening body havingmeans for forming a direct force-fit connection to the wall when thefastening body is inserted into the drill hole of the wall and thediameter of the head being larger than the diameter of the fasteningbody.

In order to attach the skirting board to the wall, it is provided inaccordance with the invention that first the skirting board is drilledthrough, the drill hole being driven into the wall through the skirtingboard in a drilling process. After drilling, the connecting element isintroduced from the outside through the skirting board into the drillhole in the wall, a form-fit and force-fit connection being producedbetween the fastening body and the wall. The head of the connectingelement presses the skirting board against the wall and fixes it on thelatter.

As a result, the invention makes it possible to install a skirting boardwith high precision and low consumption of time and labor. In thisconnection, a mounting set can have a drill with a cylindrical drillshaft and with a flat head section. The drill shaft is designed to drilla hole through the skirting board into the wall. With the flat headsection, at the end of the drilling process, the outer end of the drillhole in the skirting board is drilled to a countersinking hole, thediameter of the flat head section corresponding at least to the diameterof the head of the connecting element. The connecting element is thenintroduced with the fastening body in front into the drill hole untilthe head of the connecting element rests against the bottom of thecountersinking hole, by which the skirting board is fixed on the wall.Depending on the execution of the flat head section, the drill can beused to produce a conical countersinking hole, a flat countersinkinghole or a counterbored hole.

The length of the drill shaft corresponds at least to the length of theconnecting element. Preferably, the length of the drill shaft is,however, greater than the length of the connecting element in order, inany case, to ensure a sufficient drill hole depth for the fasteningbody.

In order to ensure sufficient strength of the skirting board withconsideration of the notch action proceeding from the drill hole, it canbe provided that the depth of the countersinking hole is less than 30%of the thickness of the skirting board. The drill, in this connection,can have a stop means to limit the penetration depth of the flat headsection when drilling into the skirting board. This ensures that, whendrilling a countersinking hole, a maximum allowable depth of this holecannot be exceeded. The stop means can be movably supported, andpreferably can have at least one stop surface with a low coefficient offriction. In this way, damage to the base surface when drilling the holeand when countersinking the flat head section into the skirting boardcan be reliably precluded when the stop means makes contact with theskirting board. Preferably, the stop means can be produced frompolytetrafluorethylene or coated accordingly in order to preventscratching of the base surface when drilling.

In the installed state, the head and the skirting board can be alignedon the visible side of the skirting board, preferably the head piecebeing countersunk into the skirting board with the surface flush. Thecountersinking hole must accordingly have a sufficient depth whichallows countersinking of the head of the connecting element into theskirting board. This ensures an aesthetically pleasing overallimpression of the skirting board arrangement. However, fundamentally, itis of course also possible for the countersinking hole to have a greaterdepth in order to countersink the head of the connecting element stilldeeper into the skirting board.

To prevent the head from breaking through the skirting board, the neckof the connecting element which is made between the fastening body andthe head can have ribs which extend in the radial direction, which arefrictionally joined to the wall of the drill hole of the skirting boardand make it difficult for the head of the connecting element to breakthrough.

Furthermore, it can be provided that the outside of the head and theoutside of the skirting board have the same color and/or the same grain,and the surface of the head can be matched to the different basesurfaces. For example, there can be a head surface on the visible sidein shades or grains: natural beech, flat beech, oak, maple, heat treatedwood (dark brown to black), exotic wood (dark brown to red), white orsilver. This contributes to an aesthetically pleasing overall impressionof the skirting board, the head of the connecting element beingperceived only little or not at all as an integral component of theskirting board.

For simplified installation and attachment of the skirting board to thewall, between the skirting board and the wall, in the installed state,there can be a layer of adhesive and/or of insulation. For example,there can be an adhesive strip on the skirting board in order to fix theskirting board on the wall before the start of the drilling process andto ensure exact contact of the skirting board with the floor and miterjoints during drilling. An insulating layer can be provided between thewall and the skirting board in order to equalize unevenness which couldlead to bending of the skirting board when attached to the wall.

The connecting element, as such, is preferably made in one piece. Inthis regard, the connecting element has a fastening body, a headconnected to the fastening body, and preferably, a neck provided betweenthe fastening body and the head. However, it is also fundamentallypossible for the connecting element to be made in several parts and tohave a sleeve, such as, for example, a drive-in peg, and a nail or ascrew, first of all the sleeve being pressed into the wall and then thenail or the screw being driven or screwed into the sleeve in order toenable a form-fit and force-fit connection of the connecting element tothe wall.

The fastening body can have a plurality of ribs which are located nextto one another in the axial direction and which extend in the radialdirection. The ribs can be elastic and/or bendable, when driving intothe wall deformation of the ribs taking place opposite the drivingdirection and the deformation of the ribs ensuring the anchoring of thefastening body in the wall. However, fundamentally, it is of course alsopossible for the fastening body to have an outside thread, in this case,the fastening body being driven into the drill hole. Then, the head ofthe connecting element on the visible side has an action section for aturning tool. The latter embodiment makes it possible to easily screwthe connecting element back out of the wall when detachment of theskirting board from the wall is desired.

The neck of the connecting element or the region between the head andthe fastening body of the connecting element can be made bendable orelastic, preferably, the neck having a smaller diameter than thefastening body. This contributes to the head being easily countersunkinto the countersinking hole of the skirting board; this is especiallyadvantageous for skirting boards with a conical base. Due to theflexible neck, the head can also then be completely sunk into thecountersinking hole when the drill hole arrangement in the wall does notagree exactly with the drill hole arrangement in the skirting board.This can, for example, be the result of inexact execution of thedrilling process or slippage of the skirting board during drilling.

The head of the connecting element, preferably, can have an annularcollar of small thickness which extends in the radial direction,preferably on its outer end. In the installed state, the collar overlapsthe annular gap between the head of the connecting element and thesurrounding drill hole wall of the skirting board. This is especiallyadvantageous when the skirting board inside is made of a foamed plasticand on the surface has a coating with a different color and/or adifferent grain, the overlapping of the annular gap contributing to anaesthetically pleasing overall impression of the skirting boardarrangement. The head of the connecting element can also have, in placeof an annular projection or collar, a cover cap projecting over the heador a coating which is applied to the visible side of the head and whichhas a color and/or grain which corresponds to the color and/or grain ofthe skirting board on its outside.

Otherwise, the head can be located eccentrically to the lengthwisecenter line of the connecting element; this makes it possible to adjustthe distance of the skirting board to the floor within narrow limits inthe installed state of the skirting board by turning the connectingelements. This enables a very precise termination of the skirting boardagainst the floor and/or miter joints.

In particular, there are a host of possibilities for embodying anddeveloping the skirting board arrangement in accordance with theinvention, reference being made to the detailee description of preferredembodiments of the invention below with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a is a cross-sectional view of a skirting board arrangement inaccordance with the invention in the installed state and FIG. 1 b is afrontal view thereof,

FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of a connecting element in accordancewith the invention,

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of a connecting element in accordancewith the invention,

FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of a connecting element in accordancewith the invention, and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the connecting element taken alongline 1-1 in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a skirting board arrangement 1 with a skirting board 3attached to a wall 2, a one-piece connecting element 4 being introducedfrom the outside through the skirting board 3 into a common drill hole 5of the skirting board 3 and the wall 2 and being connectednon-positively to the wall 2. The drill hole 5 is produced by drillingthrough the skirting board 3 and by directly subsequently drilling intothe wall 2 in a continuous drilling process. The skirting board 3 isheld by the connecting element 4 in a form-fit and force-fit manner onthe wall 2 and adjoins the floor 6. In the lengthwise direction, theskirting board arrangement 1 has a plurality of other drill holes 5 andother connecting elements 4 (FIG. 1 b) which are located at regulardistances, and which are designed for similarly fastening of theskirting board 3 to the wall 2.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, the fastening body 7 of theconnecting element 4 has been driven in the drill hole 5. The fasteningbody 7 has a plurality of ribs 8 which extend radially outward, whichare located near one another in the lengthwise direction, and which,when the connecting element 4 is driven into the drill hole 5, aredeformed against the driving direction, at least in the edge region, andin doing so, form a force-fit connection to the wall 2. The ribs 8 havea disk-shaped cross-sectional shape, the diameter of the ribs 8 being atleast slightly larger than the inside diameter of the drill hole 5.Otherwise, the ribs 8 can be bent at least so far that it is possible todrive the fastening body 7 into the drill hole 5 and anchor it. When thefastening body 7 is driven completely into the wall 2, the head 9 of theconnecting element 4 rests against the skirting board 3, by which it ispressed against the wall 2.

The drill hole 5 is drilled on the outside to form a countersinking hole10, the countersinking hole 10 being made conical. In the installedstate the head 9 of the connecting element 4 which is likewise madeconical is countersunk into the countersinking hole 10 and rests againstthe shoulder 11 of the skirting board 3. In this way, the skirting board3 is fixed in its position to the wall 2. Between the head 9 and thefastening body 7, there is a neck 12 which can be easily bent in orderto facilitate countersinking of the head 9 into the countersinking hole10.

FIGS. 2 to 4 show alternative embodiments of the connecting elements 4,the connecting element 4 shown in FIG. 3 corresponding to the connectingelement 4 shown in FIG. 1. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, thefastening body 7 has an outside thread 14 as ribs. In the embodimentsshown in FIGS. 1 & 3, the fastening body 7 has ribs 8 which are arrangeddistributed over the length of the fastening body 7 essentially with thesame distance and parallel to one another. The fastening body 7 inaddition to the ribs 8 has a base body 13 which is cross-shaped in thelengthwise direction. This is shown in FIG. 5. The ribs 8 and the basebody 13 are made in one piece. The regular arrangement of the ribs 8 onthe base body 13 ensures high stability of the fastening body 7.Force-fit attachment of the connecting element 4 in the wall 2 isenabled by the outside thread 14 and the ribs 8 in both embodiments.

FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of a connecting element 4 which,likewise, has a head 9, a neck 12, and a fastening body 7 with anoutside thread 14. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the head 9 isarranged eccentrically to the lengthwise center line Y of the connectingelement 4. The eccentric arrangement of the head 9 makes it possible toadjust the distance of the skirting board 3 from the floor 6 in theinstalled state of the skirting board arrangement 1 by turning theconnecting element 4 around its lengthwise axis. The prerequisite hereis that the other connecting elements 4 which are intended for fasteningthe skirting board 3 in the lengthwise direction of the skirting board 3allow the corresponding adjustment.

Otherwise the head 9 of the connecting element 4 as shown in FIG. 4 hasa side flange 15 on its outside 16 which projects in the radialdirection beyond the head 9 such that the annular gap present in theinstalled state between the head 9 and the drill hole wall of thecountersinking hole 10 in the skirting board 3 is overlapped by theflange 15. In this way, the head 9 is not perceived as such by theobserver; this is aesthetically pleasing. Moreover, the head 9 has aslot 17 on its outer end 16 which is used as the action section for aturning tool (not shown).

To open the drill hole 5 by drilling, a specially adapted drill (notshown) can be used; it has a drill shaft with a drill tip and a flathead section spaced apart from it. The selected distance between the tipof the drill shaft and the flat head section makes it possible to drivethe drill hole 5 deep enough into the wall 2 so that the fastening body7 can be screwed or driven completely into the wall 2. The drill withthe drill shaft and flat head section makes it possible to first drillthrough the skirting board 3 in one working or drilling process and todrive the drill hole 5 into the wall 2. When the drill hole 5 hasreached a given depth in the wall 2, the flat head section engages theouter side of the skirting board 3, the drill hole 5 on the outside ofthe skirting board 3 being opened into a countersinking hole 10 bydrilling. After the drilling process, the connecting element 4 is drivenor screwed into the drill hole 5 so deep that the skirting board 3 isheld by a press-fit in the hole and a form-fit against the wall 2 by thehead 9 of the connecting element 4 which acts against the shoulder 11 ofthe skirting board 3.

Furthermore, it can be provided that the outside of the head 9 and theoutside of the skirting board 3 have the same color and/or the samegrain, and the surface of the head can be matched to the different basesurfaces. For example, there can be a head surface on the visible sidein shades or grains: natural beech, flat beech, oak, maple, heat treatedwood (dark brown to black), exotic wood (dark brown to red), white orsilver (see, FIG. 1 b). This contributes to an esthetically pleasingoverall impression of the skirting board, the head of the connectingelement being perceived only little or not at all as an integralcomponent of the skirting board.

1. Skirting board arrangement with at least one skirting board attachedto the wall and with a plurality of connecting elements, in theinstalled state of the skirting board arrangement, each connectingelement extending through the skirting board from an outer side thereof,the skirting board being held on the wall by a force-fit and form-fitconnection produced by the connecting elements.
 2. Skirting boardarrangement in accordance with claim 1, wherein the drill hole of theskirting board has a countersinking hole for a head of a respectiveconnecting element on a visible side, in the installed state, the headresting against an annular shoulder in the skirting board.
 3. Skirtingboard arrangement in accordance with claim 2, wherein the depth ofsinking of the countersinking hole is less than 30% of the thickness ofthe skirting board.
 4. Skirting board arrangement in accordance withclaim 2, wherein, in the installed state, the head and the skirtingboard are aligned on the visible side and wherein the head iscountersunk into the skirting board flush with the surface.
 5. Skirtingboard arrangement in accordance with claim 2, wherein a visible side ofthe head and the visible side of the skirting board have at least one ofthe same color and the same grain.
 6. Skirting board arrangement inaccordance with claim 1, wherein in the installed state, there is alayer of adhesive and of insulation between the skirting board and thewall.
 7. Skirting board arrangement in accordance with claim 1, whereinthe connecting element has a fastening body and a head connected to thefastening body, the fastening body having means for forming a directforce-fit connection between the connecting element and the wall whenthe connecting element is introduced into the drill hole of the wall andthe diameter of the head being larger than the diameter of the fasteningbody.
 8. Skirting board arrangement in accordance with claim 1, whereinthe connecting element is made in one piece.
 9. Skirting boardarrangement in accordance with claim 7, wherein the fastening body has aplurality of ribs which are located closely spaced relative to oneanother in an axial direction and which extend in a radial direction.10. Skirting board arrangement in accordance with claim 7, wherein thefastening body has an outside thread, and wherein the head has anengagement section for a turning tool on a visible side.
 11. Skirtingboard arrangement in accordance with claim 7, wherein a neck is providedbetween the fastening body and the head which is bendable and elastic,and wherein the neck has a smaller diameter than the fastening body. 12.Skirting board arrangement in accordance with claim 7, wherein the headhas an annular flange which extends in a radial direction.
 13. Skirtingboard arrangement in accordance with claim 7, wherein the head isarranged eccentrically relative to a lengthwise center line of theconnecting element.
 14. Process of attaching a skirting boardarrangement to a wall, comprising the steps of: drilling a common drillhole into a wall through a skirting board in a single drilling process;introducing a connecting element through the skirting board into thedrill hole in the skirting board and wall from an outer side of theskirting board, holding the skirting board against the wall by aforce-fit and form-fit connection produced by the connecting element,and repeating the preceding steps with additional connecting elements.15. Process of attaching a skirting board arrangement according to claim14, wherein the drilling step is performed so as to provide the hole ofthe skirting board with a countersinking hole for a head of a respectiveconnecting element on a visible side, the head being caused to restagainst an annular shoulder in the skirting board when introduced. 16.Process of attaching a skirting board arrangement according to claim 15,wherein the countersinking hole is produced to a depth equal to lessthan 30% of the thickness of the skirting board.